AERONCA PLT FLEW INTO IMC CONDITIONS DEPARTING RDG.

Date: 2003-06 · Aircraft: Aeronca Champion

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|inflight-event-encounter-vfr-in-imc|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|inflight-event-encounter-cftt-cfit

Synopsis

AERONCA PLT FLEW INTO IMC CONDITIONS DEPARTING RDG.

Narrative

I CALLED WX BRIEF AND TO WILLIAMSPORT FSS FOR AN UPDATE BRIEF; HAVING SPOKEN TO THEM SEVERAL TIMES EARLIER THAT DAY; FOR A FLT VFR FROM RDG TO MD42 DEPARTING WITH 1.5 ETE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SKY CONDITIONS WERE 2500 FT SCATTERED; BROKEN; AND 7000 FT OVCST. WINDS SE AT 4 KTS ALONG MY RTE WITH LIGHT RAIN 20 MI SW OF RDG AT LNS. VISIBILITY 5 MI HAZE. I DEPARTED RWY 31 WITH A L TURN ON COURSE; AND WAS DIRECTED TO CONTACT DEP. I WAS IN CONTACT WITH ONLY PRIMARY RADAR CONTACT AND CLBING AT 1500 FT FOR 2000 FT WHEN I SAW CLOUDS PASS IMMEDIATELY BELOW ME. AS I WAS APCHING RISING TERRAIN (A RIDGE); I IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED A 90 DEG BANKED DSNDING L TURN TO MAINTAIN GND CONTACT; ENDING 180 DEG OPPOSITE COURSE AT ABOUT 600 FT AGL. I CONTACTED APCH AND ADVISED THEM OF MY SIT; AND REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO RDG. AFTER CIRCLING IN POS FOR SEVERAL MINS; I WAS VECTORED TO R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 13 AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. FSS WX BRIEFING WAS COMPLETELY ERRONEOUS. I CONSIDER THIS INCIDENT TO BE JUST ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF AN INADEQUATE AND DANGEROUS WX RPTING SYS MAINTAINED BY THE FAA. IN MY EMER DSNDING TURN; I WAS PROBABLY LESS THAN 400 FT AGL OVER THE RIDGE. HAD I BEEN IN A LESS MANEUVERABLE OR HEAVIER ACFT; I MAY HAVE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. IT WAS NECESSARY FOR ME TO VIOLATE SEVERAL REGS; INCLUDING 91.119(B); 91.303(A)(C)(E)(F) AND 91.307(C). I BELIEVE I HAD NO CHOICE. I WISH TO COMMEND THE STAFF CTLRS AT RDG APCH AND TWR. THEIR ACTION; ATTITUDE; AND INSTRUCTIONS WERE EXEMPLARY. THEIR PROFESSIONALISM AND ASSISTANCE MADE A BAD SIT MUCH EASIER ON ME. P.S. ON DEP; WHILE TALKING TO REG DEP; SEVERAL ACFT WERE TRYING TO RETURN AT THE SAME TIME. SIMULTANEOUS XMISSIONS WERE MADE; MAKING THEIR JOB MORE DIFFICULT. THROUGH IT ALL; THEY GOT EVERYONE SORTED OUT AND HANDLED A CONFUSING SIT WELL.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.